Series of Militant Attacks Kill 79 in Assam

More bodies recovered in Kokrajhar, death toll rises to 79

Guwahati, Dec 24 : More bodies were recovered in trouble torn Kokrajhar district on Wednesday taking the death toll in the state to 79 where at least 62 people were killed by NDFB (S) faction in Kokrajhar and Sonitpur district and others lost their lives in reprisals.

A top official of Assam police said three bodies were recovered from Cheingkhola area in Kokrajhar district on Wednesday evening.

“The recovered bodies belong to the tribal community and they have yet to be identified,” the police official said.

At least 260 people are still missing, who fled from the villages after militants attacked them.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, MOS Home Kiren Rijiju and Union Minister Jewel Oram arrived in Guwahati on Wednesday evening and they took part in a Unified Command meeting to tackle the insurgency problem in the state.

They discussed the present violent situation in the state with Assam CM Tarun Gogoi.

Gogol said he will visit the strife-hit districts on December 25.

At least three people were killed and several were I njured including five journalists in Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur district in a police firing incident on Wednesday.

More than two thousand people came out at Dhekiajuli and protested against the killing of innocent people.

The protesters assembled at the Dhekiajuli Police Station and demanded security for villagers.

The situation turned violent when police resorted to a lathi charge and fired on protesters.

At least three people were killed and several others were injured in the police firing incident.

Meanwhile, suspected miscreants killed at least two Bodo community people in Chiang district on Wednesday morning.

During the attack, three others were injured and they were then rushed to a hospital.

In another incident, miscreants killed four persons at Bihali Bedeti area in Sonitpur district on Wednesday.

In a separate incident, protesters set ablaze at least 90 houses at the Udalguri weekly market.

At least 19 protesters were injured in the police firing incident at Udalguri.

Miscreants set ablaze at least 300 houses in the trouble torn districts.

Thousands of people have fled from their villages, taking shelter at different places.

The Eastern state of Assam has been put on high alert as the death toll keeps rising.

The Indo-Bhutan border in lower Assam has been also been sealed, according to reports.

Following the massacre, Assam CM Tarun Gogoi called a high level security meeting in Guwahati.

Earlier in the day, he said that such incidents are unacceptable and that the governments of India or Assam will never surrender.

The NDFB is an armed separatist outfit which seeks to obtain a sovereign Bodoland for the Bodo people in Assam, India. It is designated as a terrorist organization by the Government of India.

NDFB-S was formed in Nov 2012, by Myanmar based NDFB breakaway group’s self-styled “army chief” I.K. Songbijit. They have vowed to “liberate Bodoland [where the Bodo tribesmen live in Assam] and Western South East Asia [read entire North East India]” from Indian rule.

Since the formation of NDFB-S by I K Songbijit, this faction has become the most violent insurgent group in Assam, engaging in multiple incidents of killing, abduction and extortion across the BTAD areas.